It was supposed to be a cakewalk for the Europeans, but it was the Black Sticks who surprisingly took the lead in the opening minute, Phillip Burrows latching on to a good cross from Steven Edwards.

The Dutch responded immediately, in the next minute itself, veteran Ronald Brouwer scoring from close range.

Five minutes later Taeke Taekema, the tournament's top scorer following his hat-trick against South Africa, added one more to his tally doing what he does best -- a spectacular penalty-corner conversion.

As the Black Sticks tried desperately to secure an equaliser, the Tangerine Terminators took advantage of their defensive frailties, and Jeroen Hertzberger put them 3-1 up seven minutes before the breather.

The second half was more about half-hearted attempts and missed chances.

New Zealand, who had also won their opener, had a few good chances to get back into the match but squandered them.